Rhubarb cookies
Rhubarb cookies are a deliciously soft and chewy cookie with the perfect combination of sweet and tartness. This recipe is so easy to make they’re a great bake for kids to try.
Rhubarb cookies are a super delicious and easy way of enjoying forced or fresh rhubarb. The cookies are soft and chewy and balance sweetness with the tartness of the rhubarb perfectly.
We’ve used our favourite easy cookie recipe but have swapped the chocolate chips we normally use for some chopped rhubarb. They add a lovely tart freshness so are a great bake for springtime.
What is forced rhubarb?
Forced rhubarb is grown with the crowns in darkness which forces the stems to grow quickly in search of light. This means it’s ready much earlier in the year than unforced rhubarb.
As a result, forced rhubarb is generally sweeter, more tender and a brighter pink colour than regular rhubarb which makes it perfect for baking.
How can kids help to make rhubarb cookies?
I think cookies are a great bake for kids as they’re quick and easy, and these rhubarb cookies are no exception.
I like this particular base recipe for easy cookies as everything gets mixed together in one bowl which makes things nice and simple and leaves less washing up for you! After you’ve made the base cookie dough it’s easy to swap in some extra flavours like the rhubarb to make them a bit more interesting.
When make these cookies, your kids can help to measure everything out and mix it all together. They can also practice cracking an egg, which is an important skill for young bakers to master.
If you have older children, once you’ve made the cookie dough they may be able to help chop the rhubarb into small pieces before adding it into the mix.
Scooping out the balls of cookie dough with a spoon before putting them on to your baking trays is a great job for kids to do. It’s a lot easier than recipes which need you to roll and cut out biscuits, so it’s perfect for even young children and toddlers.
What can I use if I don’t have any self raising flour?
You should easily be able to find self raising flour in your local supermarket here in the UK, but if you don’t have any you can swap it for an equal amount of plain or all-purpose flour and add a teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt.
How long to rhubarb cookies keep?
Rhubarb cookies will keep in an air tight container, at room temperature for 2-3 days.
If you want to keep the cookies for longer or make them ahead of time, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
To freeze them, wrap them individually in cling film and pop them in a freezer bag. Defrost them fully at room temperature before you serve them.
Why do I need to use two different sugars?
The reason we’ve used two sugars in this recipe is because they both add something different to the cookies. The caster sugar gives the cookies a nice crisp crust, while the brown sugar keeps the inside of the cookies soft. If you only have one of the sugars to hand just use 150g of that, the cookies will still be delicious.
How do you stop the rhubarb cookies spreading too much in the oven?
The best way of stopping cookies from spreading is by chilling them in the fridge before you bake them. I recommend doing this for at least 15 minutes.
What other bakes use up rhubarb?
If you’ve got more rhubarb you want to use up, try one of these rhubarb recipes:
Rhubarb crumble
Rhubarb cake
Rhubarb muffins
More delicious cookies
Or try some of our other favourite easy cookie recipes for kids:
Nutella stuffed cookies
Strawberry cookies
Blueberry cookies
Fudge cookies
Biscoff stuffed cookies
Sprinkles cookies
Rolo cookies
Raspberry and white chocolate cookies
Caramel stuffed cookies
Chocolate marshmallow cookies
Double chocolate chip cookies
White chocolate chip cookies
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these rhubarb cookies
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoons
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Baking tray
Wire rack
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Ingredients
100g (½ cup) butter
100g (½ cup) soft brown sugar
50g (¼ cup) caster sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
200g (1 ¼ cups) self raising flour
85 – 100g chopped rhubarb
How to make rhubarb cookies
Pre heat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F and line 2 -3 baking trays with baking or parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sugars together
Get your kids to measure out the butter and both soft brown sugar and caster sugar then and add them all to a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer if you have one.
Before adding the butter cut it into small chunks to make it easier to blend in. If it’s not softened pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it, but not long enough for it to melt.
Beat the butter and sugars together with a hand held mixer or the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer until the mixture is nice and light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and egg
Get your kids to help measure the vanilla extract out. If your children are very young you might need to hold the teaspoon steady while they pour it in or vice versa.
Crack the egg into a small bowl before adding it to your mixing bowl (just in case any shell goes in). If you do get shell in your bowl, fish it out with a larger piece or shell or a teaspoon – it will stick to that better than it will your finger and save getting messy hands.
Mix the egg and vanilla in. It’s fine if your mixture looks a bit sloppy at this point.
Add the flour
Measure out the flour and add it into your mixing bowl. Mix everything together until it combines into a nice ball of cookie dough.
Add the rhubarb
If your children are old enough get them to chop the rhubarb into small pieces. Rhubarb is a relatively easy fruit to cut, but your children need to be able to keep their fingers safe around sharp knifes.
Finally, add the rhubarb to your mixing bowl and stir the pieces through using a spatula or wooden spoon until they are well distributed.
Make the rhubarb cookies
Get your kids to spoon out dollops of rhubarb cookie dough onto your prepared baking trays. Try to make sure the rhubarb pieces are evenly distributed among the cookies. Leave gaps between the cookies as they will spread a little when they bake.
We used soup spoons for this job because ours seem to give just the right amount. A large heaped teaspoon or some ice cream scoops will also do this job well.
Chill the cookies on their baking trays in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before you bake them to stop them spreading too much in the oven.
Bake the rhubarb cookies
Bake the cookies in the oven for around 10-12 minutes. They’re ready when they’ve started to turn golden brown. I like them, a little bit soft and chewy, but if you prefer yours a little crispier you can keep them in the oven for another minute or two.
Remove the baking trays from the oven and leave them to cool for a few minutes before putting the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve and enjoy.
Rhubarb cookies
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Freestanding mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoons
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- baking tray
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 100 g (½ cup) butter
- 100 g (½ cup) soft brown sugar
- 50 g (¼ cup) caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 200 g (1 ¼ cups) self raising flour
- 85-100 g chopped rhubarb
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F and line 2 -3 baking trays with baking or parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sugars together
- Measure out the butter and both soft brown sugar and caster sugar then and add them all to a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer if you have one.Before adding the butter cut it into small chunks to make it easier to blend in. If it's not softened pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it, but not long enough for it to melt.
- Beat the butter and sugars together with a hand held mixer or the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer until the mixture is nice and light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and egg
- Measure the vanilla extract and add it to your bowl. Crack the egg into a small bowl before adding it to your mixing bowl (just in case any shell goes in).
- Mix the egg and vanilla in. It's fine if your mixture looks a bit sloppy at this point.
Add the flour
- Measure out the flour and add it into your mixing bowl. Mix everything together until it combines into a nice ball of cookie dough.
Add the rhubarb
- Chop the rhubarb into small pieces. Add the rhubarb to your mixing bowl and stir the pieces through using a spatula or wooden spoon until they are well distributed.
Make the rhubarb cookies
- Spoon out dollops of rhubarb cookie dough onto your prepared baking trays. Try to make sure the rhubarb pieces are evenly distributed among the cookies. Leave gaps between the cookies as they will spread a little when they bake.
- Chill the cookies on their baking trays in the fridge for at least 15 minutes or so before you bake them to stop them spreading too much in the oven.
Bake the rhubarb cookies
- Bake the cookies in the oven for around 10-12 minutes. They’re ready when they’ve started to turn golden brown. I like them, a little bit soft and chewy, but if you prefer yours a little crispier you can keep them in the oven for another minute or two.
- Remove the baking trays from the oven and leave them to cool for a few minutes before putting the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
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